All but two of its members were already among the all-time greats NBA 2K12 assembled for its "NBA's Greatest" retrospective last year. Barkley, the Dream Team's leading scorer, was not one of them, making his signing this year the linchpin to the Dream Team's video game return. (The team starred in Team USA Basketball on the Sega Genesis in 1992.)
Jason Argent, the 2K Sports vice president of marketing, said that bringing in hip-hop superstar and entrepreneur Jay-Z to be the game's executive producer both drove the necessity for bringing the Dream Team to the game, and the discussions with Barkley to license his appearance in it.
"In our meetings with Jay-Z, he absolutely needed USA Basketball, both 1992 and 2012, in this game." Argent said. However, "If we're putting these teams in, Charles has to be in the game. Our executive producer, Jay-Z, put in a call to Charles himself, and helped us forge an agreement to use him in the game."
Executive producer Jay-Z made a personal appeal to Charles Barkley to appear in NBA 2K13
Last year, NBA 2K12 featured the 1985 Philadelphia 76ers, Barkley's team in his rookie year. That choice plus Barkley's absence from the roster pointed to a deal that fell apart at the last minute, although 2K Sports has never commented on what happened. Evidently, Jay-Z's celebrity heft and the 20th anniversary of the Dream Team's gold medal was enough to convince Sir Charles to come around.
He will not, however, appear on any other team in the game. When asked if that was because Barkley only agreed to an appearance for USA Basketball, or if the game was not returning or adding to its "NBA's Greatest" suite of classic games, Argent demurred. "We're going to talk a bit more about that as we start making more announcements," Argent said, "but Charles will just appear on that 1992 team."
Yet the Dream Team still will not have all 12 players in NBA 2K13. 2K Sports and Scottie Pippen, who appeared on several classic Chicago Bulls teams the past two years, could not come to an agreement on the use of his likeness in NBA 2K13.
Again, Argent refused to say what kept the two sides apart but pointedly said "Scottie is a good friend of the brand; our relationship is on very solid terms with Scottie Pippen."
@ barkley being included in the game
